Towel dispenser

ABSTRACT

A towel dispenser constructed of two spaced-apart plates inclined downwardly towards each other is supported in a cabinet. The forward plate has a truncated elliptically shaped slot with parallel ends normal to the other plate. A removable adapter plate covers the elliptical slot and a vertical plate is held in one of two positions on the adapter plate. C-shaped towels are dispensed through the elliptical slot when the surrounding plate is in the forward position; when the dispenser is reversed with the adapter plate over the elliptical slot the end of a roll towel supported on the plates is dispensed between them and when the vertical plate is placed in position single fold or multifold towels resting on the spaced-apart plates may be similarly dispensed depending on the position of the vertical plate.

1mm W l States t [72] inventor Julius lllgoao Toronto, Ontario, C m it. it [2]] App]. No. 676.9117 [22] Filed Oct. 20, 1967 [45] Patented [73] Assignee Ha annual Hades lLirnl Don Mills, Ontario, Canada [32] Priority July 24, W67 I 33] Canada [31] 996,1160

[54] TUWEL lDlSPENSER 2 Es, 7 Drawing Figs.

[52] ILLS. (ll 312/39, 221/46 [51] lint. C1 WSSh l9/tl2 [50] Field olSem-ch 312/39; 221/44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 51, 52

[ References l n3 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,028,047 4/1962 Tuft 221/46 X 3,115,998 12/1963 Joyce et al. 225/34 3,381,852 5/1968 Bastian 221/44 Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay Assistant Examiner-Peter A. Aschenbrenner Attorney-Douglas S. Johnson ABSTRACT: A towel dispenser constructed of two spacedapart plates inclined downwardly towards each other is supported in a cabinet. The forward plate has a truncated elliptically shaped slot with parallel ends normal to the other plate. A removable adapter plate covers the elliptical slot and a vertical plate is held in one of two positions on the adapter plate. C-shaped towels are dispensed through the elliptical slot when the surrounding plate is in the forward position; when the dispenser is reversed with the adapter plate over the elliptical slot the end of a roll towel supported on the plates is dispensed between them and when the vertical plate is placed in position single fold or multifold towels resting on the spaced-apart plates may be similarly dispensed depending on the position of the vertical plate.

TOWEL DISPENSER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention This invention relates to towel dispensers and has particular relation to dispensers for paper towels.

2. Description of the Prior Art One type of paper towel designed for dispensing consists of a roll of paper located in a cabinet, ing from a suitable aperture located in the underside of the cabinet. The arrangement is such that the protruding end of the paper is pulled to provide sufficient length of towelling after which it is then severed by lifting against a cutter bar.

A practical disadvantage of using paper towels in a roll is the waste which may occur because there is no control .over the length withdrawn from the cabinet. To overcome this problem stop and timing means have been employed in the cabinet but this adds to the expense of the unit and a further problem of maintenance.

A different approach to controlling the dispensed length involves the use of stacked individual towels in the cabinet. One type of such towel is known as for dispensing so that the leaf fold of the next one above;

of each towel lies between the stack of such towels isp tioned in the cabinet so thatz-the other leaf of the lowest towe the end of the roll protrud l the single fold which is stacked is free and protrudes from the aperture in the underside of the cabinet.

A further type of individual towel is known as the multifold, this being designed to dispense from the cabinet in the same manner as the single fold.

Another type of stacked individual towel is known as the C fold; as the name suggests each towel exhibits the outline of a C in cross section and they are stacked one over the other in the cabinet for individual extraction'therefrom.

Because the C-, multi and single-fold towels are of a different width and length the problem in the past has been to design a towel dispenser from which any one of the above types of towelling may be dispensed. To the best of applicants knowledge no cabinet type of dispenser has yet been devised which will permit any one of theabove typesof towelling to be located therein and dispensed therefrom in the desired manner.

It is an object of the invention to provide apparatus in a cabinet dispenser which will dispense therefrom a requisite length of paper towel from a roll or an individual towel from stacks of C-, multior single-fold towels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in relation to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet housing the basic towel dispensing apparatus constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly exploded perspective view of the basic plate portions with end pieces and the elliptical aperture in one of the portions intended to dispense'C-shaped towels;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1 and showing the dispensing of a stack of C-shaped towels;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view with parts cut away showing the adaptation to dispense a roll towel;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view with parts cut away showing the adaptation to dispense multifold towels;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus adapted to dispensesingle-fold towels;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus adapted to dispense multifold towels;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The towel dispenser apparatus shown in the drawings includes a member, generally designated by the numeral 12, and formed of two spaced-apart platelike portions designated by the numerals l4 and 16, see FIG. 2.

0 towards the portion 16 The plate portion 14, specifically designed to dispense C- fold towels, has opposed substantially parallel longitudinal sides 18 and 20 and ends 22 and 24. For the purposes of construction of the member 12, as explained below, the side 18 of the plate 14 removed from the portion 16 is upwardly turned over on itself to form a flange 26. The plate 14 is bent on a line 28, parallel to the longitudinal side 20, to form a flange 30. The direction of bending along the line 28 is reversed to that forming the flange .26 and is such that the flange 30 extends of the member 12 but terminates short thereof.

Located between the flanges 26 and 30 of the plate 14 is an aperture 32 which is preferably shaped as shown in the form of converging elliptical sides 34 and 36 situated adjacent the longitudinal edges 18 and 20 of the plate 14. The elliptical aperture 32 is abbreviated at its ends by sides 38 and 40 normal to the principal axis of the elliptical aperture 32, the sides 38 and 40 being parallel with the ends 22 and 24 respectively of the plates 14.

The portion 16 of the member 12 is formed of a plate having substantially parallel longitudinal sides 42 and 44 and ends 46 and 48. The side 42 of the plate 16 is upwardly turned over on itself to form a flange 50 which serves the same constructional 8 portion 14. The plate 16 is be'ht (in 3.11118 52 parallel to the longitudinal side 44 to form The direction of bending along the line 52 is reversed to that forming the flange Y50 and the extent is such that the flange 54 extends towards. the portion 14 of the member 12 but terminatesshort thereof to provide a slot 56.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 the portions 14 and 116 of the member 12 are inclined towards each other in spaced-apart relationship and they are maintained in this position by identical end pieces 58 and 60 only one of which will, be described. The end piece 58 is formed of an inverted triangular shaped wall 62, the base 64 of which extends over the combined width of the assembled plate portions '14 and 16. The sides 66 and 68 of the wall 58 each have a respective flange 70 and 72, the adjacent ends of which are spaced apart substantially the distance between the bend lines 28 and 52 on the plate portions 14 and 1.6. The opposed ends of the flanges 70 and 72 are located under the flanges 26 and 50 of the plates 14 and 16 respectively. The flanges 70 and 72 are secured to the plates 14 and l6'by means such as spot welding. The end piece 58 has a pair of spaced-apart slots 74 which provide for attachment of the member 12 to the interior of a cabinet 76 by means of screws 78, see FIG. 1.

A plate 80 is provided to cover the unused portion of the dispenser, i.e. the aperture in the plate 14, see FIG. 4, when the dispenser is in position for dispensing single-, multifold and roll towels. The plate 80 has an upwardly disposed flange 84 which has apertures which provide for attachment of the plate 80 to the back of the cabinet 76 by means of rivets 86. The plate 80 also has a pair of spaced-apart apertures 88 located on a line substantially parallel to the flange 84. Forward of these apertures .88 with respect to the flange 84 are another pair of apertures 90 which are spaced apart the same distance as the apertures 88 and are also positioned on a line substantially parallel to the flange 84.

A singleand multifold towel spacer 92 is formed of a plate having a pair of opposed normally disposed flanges 94 and 96. A pair of spaced-apart pins 98 are secured to the lower edge 100 of the spacer 92, the pins 98 being spaced apart the same distance as that of the apertures 88 so that the plate 80 may be .disposed with the pins 98 located in either the apertures 88 or ,theapertures 90. l

A roll towel adapter 104, see FIG. 4, is formed of a pair of integral normally disposed plates 106 and 108, the length of eachcorresponding tothe distance between the end pieces 58 and .60. When in position the plate 106 of the adapter 104 rests .on the plate 16 of the member 12 and the plate 108 of the adapter 104 extends downwards through the slot 56 to project therefrom. As shown in the drawing a centrally disposed rectangular aperture 110 is provided in the plate 108 in the portion which projects below the flange 54 forming one side of the slot 56. The plate 106 has a pair of opposed upstanding flanges 112 each having a slot 114 which is aligned with the slot 74 in the end piece 58 positioned above the flange 72.

of the plate 16 is the same as the width of a single-fold towel. Accordingly, when a stack of these are To dispense multifold towels the spacer 92 is moved so that the spaced-apart pins 98 are disposed in the apertures 90. In this position the lower edge 100 of the spacer 92 is the same distance from the front longitudinal edge 42 of the plate 16 as that of the width of a multifold towel. In the same manner as already described for single-fold towels the front leaf of the lowest multifold towel extends through the slot 56, see FIG. 7, and the stack of towels may be dispensed in sequence.

To accommodate the dispensing of roll type of towel the the free end of the towel extending down through the slot 56 and the inclined relationship of the plates 14 and 16 of the edge of the downwardly adapter 104.

While certain embodiments have been illustrated and described for the purpose of disclosure, it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but contemplates such modifications and other embodiments as may be utilized without departing from the invention.

lclaim:

plate supporting a stack of C-type towels for dispensing through said elliptical slot and said aperture; and wherein the space between said plates is positioned over said aperture, a

2. A towel dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a removable adapter plate is engageable with said other plate, said adapter plate havin 

1. A towel dispenser apparatus for location on a cabinet having an aperture on its underside comprising a removable member formed of a pair of spaced-apart plates inclined towards each other, a substantially elliptical slot in one of said plates, said member being secured in said cabinet so that said elliptical slot is positioned over said aperture with said one plate supporting a stack of C-type towels for dispensing through said elliptical slot and said aperture; and wherein the space between said plates is positioned over said aperture, a removable cover plate positioned over said elliptical slot, a substantially vertically disposed removable spacer plate engageable with said plate and movable thereon between two positions, one of said positions being such that the distance between said spacer plate and the front of said cabinet is substantially the same as the width of a multifold towel and the other position is such that the distance between said spacer plate and the front of said cabinet is substantially the width of a single-fold towel.
 2. A towel dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a removable adapter plate is engageable with said other plate, said adapter plate having a flange depending downwards and outwards of said cabinet into the space between said plates of said removable member, said depending flange providing a cutter bar to dispense a roll towel resting on said adapter plate and said cover plate. 